Samsung Dishwasher Leaking

The leak is going to come from either the door of the machine or from under the machine. Since the leaks that are under the machine will usually trigger a response from the machine, we will first look at leaks that you see outside the machine, usually in front of it. Here are some things to start with. You are trying to locate the leak as your first task. If your dishwasher is giving a leak code, go to this page.

You will want to wipe up the visible leak and run a cycle. This accomplishes two things:

• You can verify it is not a spill, and
• You can observe the dishwasher to get some idea of the source of the leak.

Using the wrong detergent or accidentally putting liquid dish detergent into your machine can cause leaks of foam. Never use liquid dish detergent in a dishwasher, as it will cause excessive foaming and won’t allow the machine to work properly.

Kind of a common-sense solution; the door seals can have problems.

• Check for cracks or folded-over or warped seals, especially lower down on the door.
• Check that nothing has lifted or shifted the seal from its mounting place.
• Check that there isn’t dirt on the seals or a fragment that has become embedded in the seal. These can cause leaks.

You will need to remove the kickplate for this, which will allow you to check the inlet valve next as well. Use a small level and hold it against the inside of the upper front rim of the tub. Here’s a link to a Samsung document that shows you how. Then check it and go to the next item.

Right behind the kickplate, usually on the left side, looking at the front of the dishwasher, is where the inlet valve is located. Sometimes, the valve or the connection will leak. Take a look. Wipe as much of the length of the inlet tubing as possible; a leak can run a long distance down the outside of the hose.

If you live in a cold area, the inlet valve body can freeze and crack. Older, poorly insulated homes can experience this failure more frequently because the area under the dishwasher is often very cold because it is isolated from the rest of the kitchen area by the kickplate. If the valve is leaking steadily even with the dishwasher turned off, this might be the problem.

Occasionally, the vent inside the door will leak, and water may come out of the lower edge of the door. Wipe the bottom edge with a cloth or paper towel. If the leak keeps showing up, you will have to disassemble the door.

Inspect the nozzles on the spray arms of your dishwasher. If there is debris in the holes, it can cause them to make a jet that may be diverted so it will hit to door in such a way that water can get past the seals or into the vent.

Sometimes the screws that hold the unit in place will cause the dishwasher cabinet to warp or bulge, and this will prevent the seals from working properly. This is mainly a problem when the screws are installed through the side of the front edge of the dishwasher to secure it to the cabinet. The screws installed at the top through brackets won’t cause this.

If you have a leak, even only a slow drip, your first task is to locate the source of the leak, which is what we have started to do. The path you choose at this point will depend on how much water is leaking. Small leaks are harder to find and require more effort.

• An excellent first step is to remove the kickplate of your dishwasher, push aside any sound insulation, and, if possible, observe underneath it while it runs through a cycle. There may be parts of the chassis in the way when you do this, and you may need to pull the machine out from under the counter (see Occasional Condensation on the Samsung Dishwasher LC Code Page.)

Operating the unit while it is out from under the counter when possible is a useful means of discovering the location of a leak, especially small ones. Elevating the machine on some wood blocks helps to provide a sufficient view. A good light is necessary, too.

• Move the dishwasher from under the counter.
• Remove the leak pan where the moisture sensor is.
  • Lay the dishwasher on its side.
  • Remove the screw, and unfasten the clips which hold the pan on.
  • Remove the pan.
• Tip the dishwasher up again.
• If the leak is hard to spot, place paper on the floor with wood blocks on top of it, and place the dishwasher on the blocks. This will hold the paper in place.
• Run the machine through a regular cycle.
• Observe for leaks. They may not be immediately apparent, either because they are small or take time to appear.

Since the task is to find the leak, below is a list of places to look or types of leaks that have been encountered and documented. A number of these require removing the upper or lower side panels of the dishwasher. Follow water paths and have patience; water may come from several unexpected locations. Many of these leak locations will trigger a leak code on the dishwasher, but not necessarily every time. Leaks near the side of the dishwasher are less likely to do so; we start the list with those since we assume you don’t have a leak code.

The dish rack mounts in the side walls may not have seals, or the seals may have failed. You must remove the upper side panels on the outside of the dishwasher to check these. Typically, you will find the moisture near the edge of the bottom of the dishwasher.

Here is a link to a helpful video covering this issue.

You may find that one of the hoses on your unit may be leaking. Hoses usually leak near the joints on these units. Cracked hoses and allow water to run down them for a long distance. Another leak location may be at the side chamber of the unit. Leaks under the unit will usually trigger a leak error code. Clogged drain hoses can be a source of leaks.

A gasket is located between the case break on the dishwasher and the outlet inside the unit on the wall. If this gasket fails or the connection is loose, water can run down the outside of the dishwasher and onto the floor Look for signs of moisture on the side of the dishwasher; the insulation can become wet from this sort of leak, too.

The vent assembly mounted in the door on many models can be a source for leaks, either through failure of the vent diaphragm valve or failure of the gasket that seals the vent assembly to the inner skin of the door. These leaks will usually show up at the bottom edge of the door.

We have already checked this, but there’s a little more to do. Look carefully at the inlet valve (where the water supply hose connects to the dishwasher). Check for leakage there. The connections on the outlet side of the valve can leak, but since these will only have water in them when the unit is filling, you may have a hard time detecting the leak. Such leaks may be most readily located by the trails of residue from leaking water. If you see such, operate the unit and observe the inlet hose that runs from the valve to the washer tub or the case break on the side..

Some leaks only occur after the dishwasher has run much of a cycle. This might be due to the thermal distortion of certain plastic parts. You should check to see that all fasteners are tight and look carefully for the leak's location.

These failures will likely cause a leak code on your Samsung dishwasher, but just in case they don’t, they are listed here.

Some models have a motor mounted beneath the well at the bottom of the dishwasher. This motor drives the main pump and is mounted vertically. The seals on the motor shaft can fail and allow water to leak into the motor, ultimately causing corrosion and failure. Look for water coming out of the pump motor housing or the failure of the main pump. Unless your leak detection is totally inoperative, this will cause an error code.

Some models have a diverter/distributor valve assembly mounted to the sump. There is a large “o” ring seal that fails. Here is a link to a video showing the location of this unit.

Some models have a sump assembly with the drain pump, circulating pump, and diverter/distributor valve assembly all mounted to it. This sump assembly, mounted to the bottom tub or tray of the dishwasher, has a gasket around it that can leak. The screws that hold the sump in place may also be loose, leading to leakage as well. Here’s a video with more on this.

Link to Samsung Page on Visible Dishwasher Leakage